At 42, Jeff Gordon is having one of the best seasons of his illustrious NASCAR Sprint Cup career. The four-time series champion last won a title in 2001, but he already has a win this season and leads the 2014 points race. Kentucky Speedway is the only Cup track where Gordon has not won, although the track has had a Cup race only since 2011. Gordon's 89 career wins rank No. 3 all-time but No. 1 in the modern NASCAR era (1972-present). Gordon recently spoke via telephone to Cincinnati Enquirer Sports reporter Tom Groeschen about several topics, including trying to win at Kentucky, his relationship with the late superstar Dale Earnhardt Sr. and what remains for him to accomplish in his sport.

Q: You are leading the points race as we speak, with one win this year. How would you rate your season overall?

A: It is a very good season so far. We've been bringing great race cars to the track every weekend, competing at a high level. The cars are strong, the pit crews are strong. We're having a great year.

Obviously we want to be the best out there, and to do that we have to win a couple more races. You want to be not just in the Chase, you want to be the team to beat. I think we certainly are on the radar, but a couple guys have stood out this year, (Kevin) Harvick and recently Jimmie (Johnson), and (Dale Earnhardt) Junior has been real consistent as well.

Q: Kentucky Speedway is the only Cup track where you have not made it to Victory Lane, although you have Top 10 finishes each year here. How would it be to win this, to have won at every track on the schedule?

A: That would be fantastic. I think everybody's goal is to be able to win at every track and to win consistently. One of the things we've been fortunate enough to do with the 24 car is to win consistently, and one stat that is important is to win at every track.

Winning at Kentucky is now high on my list. We had a shot last time, and I'm pretty excited about coming back.

Q: Before the inaugural Kentucky Speedway race in 2011, you were calling for the track to be repaved because it was rough and hard to pass. You seem to have changed your mind since. What do you think of the track now?

A: I don't think any of us want to see it repaved because we see what happens at tracks with repaves. The surface becomes smooth and fast, not abrasive. The bumps are not optimal and are very severe, but we can manage them. We can get around them. Other than that, it's fun and challenging.

Q: You spoke possibly of retiring after the 2014 season if you won your fifth championship, and you have had some problems with your back. How is your back today, and are there any more thoughts of retirement as we stand here at midseason?

A: I didn't bring it up. Somebody asked me about it. They said, 'If you won the championship this year, would you consider retiring?' I jokingly but seriously said I couldn't think of a better way to go out. The real focus is winning championships.

I've had back issues for years, that's no secret. At one point I didn't know if I could manage it and get through a grueling season. You've got to be healthy and competitive.

Q: You were the rising star in the 1990s, and now you are one of the established veterans. How does it feel to be on the other side of it, watching the young talents such as Trevor Bayne and Chase Elliott on their way up?

A: I've always been a big advocate of bringing new young talent into the sport. It's what makes the sport exciting and helps it to thrive.

I think we've got some great young talent that's on its way. Chase Elliott has been extremely competitive. Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon certainly are great young talents, but we need more, we really do. We need guys driving all kinds of different cars and bringing excitement to the sport.

Q: What are the biggest changes in NASCAR since your Cup rookie year (1993)?

A: The biggest thing would be just the speed of the cars and how you can be aggressive. The reliability has improved, the grip level has improved. The competition among one another has gotten much tighter. And of course the points system is a little different now.

When I came into the sport there were like 30 races on the schedule, and now there are 38. It's a lot more grueling. We don't have some of the down time we used to have.

Q: When you were coming up, who were the drivers you most admired?

A: Certainly Dale Earnhardt Sr., Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace. Bill Elliott and Dale Jarrett. They were with good teams, veteran guys who were still doing well and winning.

Q: Your rivalry with Earnhardt Sr. was one of the biggest in sports, and you had a healthy respect for each other. How big of an influence was he on your career?

A: He was an incredible driver, an incredible person, a great personality for the sport. As a young driver you have to admire that. He and I certainly battled it out on the tracks. I learned a lot from him about racing, and he taught me a lot about the sport and the fans and the business.

I can remember going to the test sessions where me and Dale would just sit there and talk for an hour or hang out, talking about the last race or something in business or about boating. It seemed like we had some more free time then.

Q: Some of the old-guard fans booed you in your younger days when they thought you were winning too much. How do the fans treat you now?

A: That has certainly changed quite a bit, and I'm not sure if I like that. (Laughs). You go back to the most successful seasons I've had, the fans were booing or had signs against me. Those were good times, and I had no complaints about that. These days there are a good amount of cheers.

Q: What are your favorite things to do, away from the racetrack?

A: Having two young kids, that keeps me really engaged and involved with them, with whatever family activity we do. (Gordon and his wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, have two children, Ella Sofia, 7, and Leo Benjamin, 3.)

Whether it's travel or going to a beach or Disney World or going skiing in the winter, we're definitely going to do something together.

Q: You have won just about everything there is to win. What is left for Jeff Gordon in NASCAR?

A: No matter what you've accomplished, there's always more. Every week there's a race to win. You're going out to win a championship every year.

I've never won a Sprint Cup. When I walk into the room dedicated to my trophies, they all say Winston Cup on them (1995, '97, '98 and 2001 seasons). I want to win under this format now. The point system is different, and to me that's a new challenge.

There's no such thing as a bucket list to be satisfied. I'm extremely satisfied. From here on out, it's just find the drive and motivation to give the team everything they've given to me, and put together as many race wins as possible.